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It certainly is wonderful to be 
here with all of you today. 

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As you can see, on the screen, 
the title of our lesson is an 

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eternal weight of Glory. 
You might remember back in 2018,

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about three years or so. 
I preached this sermon in your 

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hearing. 
Since that time, I've modified 

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it a little bit and I've tried 
to preach it. 

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Most of the places where I 
travel and hold gospel meetings.

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It is passages that are perhaps 
some of the most encouraging 

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things to the child of God. 
I really know of no other 

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passage that is more encouraging
than this. 

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So the reason for such a sermon 
today, I realize in 2020 we had 

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a year, unlike any other year 
that we have ever witnessed in 

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our lifetime. 
I can't go back and reflect on 

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things that I was not alive for.
But in 2020 in my lifetime, 

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there are things that have 
happened that I had never seen 

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before. 
We have a global pandemic. 

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Have all manner of things. 
We have sorrows and regrets and 

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things that happen in our life. 
And sometimes pain and sorrow, 

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maybe perhaps of the loss of a 
loved one, may be literally or 

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even spiritually. 
So I realized that life is 

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filled with sometimes challenges
and sometimes great pain. 

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So what I thought is today, I'd 
like to preach a sermon that is 

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an encouragement. 
I'd like to look to the word of 

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God today and perhaps less Study
what Paul said. 

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And maybe just maybe we might 
have a different perception 

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about the life that we are 
living. 

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And all the circumstances that 
are found there in our passage 

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is taken from the book of second
Corinthians chapter 4 and 

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beginning. 
In verse 16, these are the words

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of the great Apostle Paul. 
Therefore we do not lose heart. 

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Even though our outward man is 
perishing yet our inward man is 

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being renewed day by day. 
For our light Affliction, which 

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is. 
But for a moment is working for 

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us a far more exceeding and 
eternal weight of Glory. 

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Which we do not look at the 
things which are seen, But at 

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the things that are not seen for
the things, which are seen are 

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temporary, but the things which 
are not seen are Eternal, you 

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know, I think that I am, I 
consider myself a positive 

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person, but I'm not positive all
the time. 

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I don't think anybody can be if 
somebody is positive all the 

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time and every thought and every
word and everything, the 

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probably a little bit fake in 
that regard because sometimes 

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there's negative things in life.
So I don't know how you would 

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Define it Optimist or a 
pessimist. 

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But I think somewhere in between
perhaps, there is a realist and 

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maybe that's where we stand. 
We're positive, we choose to be 

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positive but sometimes there are
negative circumstances. 

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Sometimes there are things in 
our life that cause Us to change

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our perspective, but I'll tell 
you this, we can't have the 

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mentality, that Chicken Little 
Skies falling, everything is 

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bad. 
We can't have that mentality. 

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We just can't, if we want to 
survive life, you can't choose 

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to be that guy. 
Now, I'm going to tell you, I 

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realized like our brother 
parade. 

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He is right. 
We have things that are around 

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our young people today, our 
children and we understand too 

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that perhaps it's harder for 
them maybe than any other time 

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of any other young people, I 
don't know, maybe it's harder on

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them than it's ever been before 
and maybe that's true. 

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We have to be very careful to on
how we speak about the future. 

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I want to tell you, share 
something that a young person 

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shared with me within the last 
couple of years and sometimes it

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kind of made me reflect is, 
sometimes we that are older and 

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I'm now one of those that are 
older, I'm older now, okay? 

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So those of us that are older, 
sometimes, look from a negative 

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or pessimistic standpoint the 
view of the future. 

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This young person said to me 
this, I get it. 

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But remember, you got to 
encourage us, we have to live in

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it. 
We have to continue to live in 

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this life. 
So when you talk about Glory 

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Days of a church of old and how 
great things were and how bad 

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things are be careful about 
that. 

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First of all, it's not true, 
it's not true. 

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Sometimes people say the world 
is worse than it's ever been. 

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That is not true. 
I know for a fact, it's not as 

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bad as Genesis chapter 6. 
Which the Bible says that the 

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thoughts of man's heart wherever
evil, continually and God 

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destroyed the world with a 
flood. 

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It's not that bad yet, so maybe 
we can just change our 

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perception a little bit and be 
encouraging about the future. 

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I think there's a lot of 
wonderful people in this world. 

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I really believe that. 
Wonderful people. 

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I was a recipient of wonderful 
people in my lifetime and I 

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don't even know who some of 
these people are. 

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You've heard me tell this this 
little illustration but when I 

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had cancer, somebody rang the 
doorbell and I got to the door 

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and opened it up and there was 
an envelope filled with six 

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hundred dollars cash in a little
note that says here's hoping 

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that this little bit could help 
you and your family. 

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I to this day, 11 years later 
have no idea who put the money 

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there. 
There's wonderful people in the 

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world. 
Folks, we need to focus on that 

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and the world. 
Is still standing today because 

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God knows those good hearts and 
perhaps we still can take the 

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gospel and save those that are 
lost. 

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Let's change our perspective, 
just a little and this view 

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things a little bit differently.
So there's wonderful people in 

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the world. 
Yes, that's true, but it doesn't

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mean they're necessarily saved. 
So all that being said, we do 

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have trouble and that job spoke 
of. 

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That job said, man is born unto 
trouble. 

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Jesus said so we shouldn't be 
alarm. 

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He said in this world what are 
you going to have trouble? 

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James said, we fall into various
trials. 

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Here's my question. 
How can we endure the Pains of 

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Life, the great disappointments 
in life? 

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How can we handle all of that in
the face of adversity? 

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How we going to do that? 
We go back to verse 8 of second 

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Corinthians chapter 4 and this 
is what Paul said, an amazing 

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passage. 
We are hard pressed on every 

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side yet not crushed. 
We are perplexed. 

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Flex, but not in despair 
persecuted, but not forsaken, 

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struck down, but not destroyed 
an amazing passage. 

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What I want to know is, how can 
we be hard pressed on every side

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and not crushed how we gonna do 
that? 

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How are we going to be perplexed
and not in despair? 

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How about persecuted? 
But not forsaken, how about 

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struck down? 
But not destroyed. 

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I want to figure out how to do 
that, don't you? 

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That's great stuff. 
How do we live like that? 

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How can we be afflicted? 
And not crushed and have all 

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those things in our life and yet
it will not change us. 

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Well, let's talk about the 
Apostle Paul, who gave us some 

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secrets for enduring and I'll 
just say this too. 

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I'm going to say two things that
I think are true. 

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Number one, sometimes we say 
nobody can possibly understand 

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what I'm going through. 
And sometimes our mindset is 

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that nobody's ever gone through.
Anything that is as difficult as

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I'm going through right now. 
You know what I've learned in my

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54 short years of life. 
Number one, somebody does know. 

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Jesus knows if nobody else knows
Jesus. 

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Does, he was in all points 
tempted like as we are yet 

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without sin. 
So if you think nobody can 

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understand how you feel, Jesus 
knows how you feel. 

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Number two, Usually when we're 
going through something that's 

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difficult, we look at our 
circumstance and we think 

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nobody's had it worse than us. 
I have learned this whatever. 

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I was going through in life, 
whatever negative thing, or bad 

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thing. 
If I was honest with myself, and

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my eyes were really open, I 
found there was somebody who had

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it worse than me every time. 
Somebody had it worse than I 

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had. 
Somebody does have things worse.

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All these things are common to 
man, but notice what Paul said, 

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because this is what Paul had to
endure. 

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Now, if Paul can do it, I 
guarantee it, we can too, and 

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we're going to find this passage
in verse 9. 

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For, I think that God has 
displayed us. 

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That's the apostles last as man,
condemned to death. 

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For we have been made a 
spectacle to the world, both the

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angels, and to men what an 
amazing thing is, what Paul went

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through and yet he said, this is
where we are and yet he gave the

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encouragement for perseverance. 
First of all, any Emser says the

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word spectacle is from the Greek
word theatron. 

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And failure defines it as a 
public show, a man who is 

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exhibited to be gazed on and 
made sport of. 

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Here's the illustration, it's by
the way, it's where we get the 

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word theater and it's in 
reference to the open theaters 

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that went on in that time that 
we get all the way down to the 

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end and it would be the final 
act. 

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It was called the climax, it was
called the spectacle and what 

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they would do is they would 
bring people and they would 

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strip them free of their 
clothing and they bring him. 

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Down to the battle floor. 
They The Arena floor and they 

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would release the beast, and the
Beast, would eat them in the 

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presence of the people for their
entertainment. 

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That was called the spectacle. 
You want to what Paul had in his

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mind of what he had coming. 
The apostles, he said, were the 

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spectacle and if you look to the
life of all the apostles, except

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John, they all died a violent 
death. 

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We are last. 
We are the ones that are 

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condemned in that regard, not 
lost, souls condemned, but we 

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are going to have such great 
sufferings. 

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So I think we can understand if 
we can that there's a deep 

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awareness in the heart of Paul 
that made him. 

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Door. 
Everything he gave Heavenly 

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reasons for Earthly endurance. 
And so we go back to our passage

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now in second Corinthians 
chapter 4, beginning in verse 

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16. 
But before we go into these 

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verses, I want to notice there 
are three Heavenly reasons for 

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Earthly endurance. 
There's one in each verse, and 

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before we look at those reasons,
let me comment on endurance for 

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just a moment. 
Second Corinthians chapter 4, I 

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love this in the very first 
part. 

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Paul Begins by saying this, we 
do not lose. 

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Heart. 
That's the first thing. 

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And we already said all the 
horrible things, he knew he had 

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to go through, but he always 
said, you know, we don't do, we 

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don't lose heart. 
You know what? 

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I means to lose heart. 
It literally means we don't give

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up. 
We don't get discouraged. 

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We don't quit. 
We're not going to be 

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faint-hearted. 
We're not going to let go. 

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That's how it begins. 
We're not going to do that. 

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We're not going to become weary 
and quit. 

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We're going to decide that no 
matter what happens in my life. 

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I'm not going to be unfaithful. 
I won't lose my boldness. 

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My bravery or my courage. 
How you going to do that? 

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Number one, you will endure when
you value spiritual strength 

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over the physical. 
So this is how it begins, we 

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don't lose heart. 
Even though now this Better 

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constructed in the Greek with 
the word since in other words, 

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when Paul says the word, even 
though he's saying since and 

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when you use that word since or 
what it means you're saying, I'm

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going to talk about something 
that is understood and known. 

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You get this, you understand 
this we don't lose heart. 

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Why? 
Since our own outward man is 

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perishing, yet the inward man is
being renewed. 

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Day by day now. 
I've changed how I think about 

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age. 
When I was 24. 

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You've probably heard me say 
this, you know, me 30 years. 

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But when Darryl would Gene 
Brewer, my father-in-law turned 

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50, there was a there was a 
party at the park or something. 

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He's wearing this t-shirt says, 
I'm not old. 

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I'm a recycled teenager and it 
was for his 50th birthday. 

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And the picture that I saw was 
standing next to David Mackey at

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by tree. 
You know, I thought that 24 man,

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50 he is as old as Methuselah 50
is horribly old. 

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I mean that's one Graven, one 
foot in the grave. 

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Another on a banana peel, right?
I don't think that way now. 

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I'm 54 I've already surpassed 
that by four years so I don't 

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say that. 
Same thing. 

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What I'm talking about is the 
outward, man? 

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What is the outward, man? 
It starts to, it's our bodies. 

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It's our physical 
characteristics. 

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It's even get this. 
It's the function of our brain 

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takes. 
What he was saying is I don't 

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lose heart, why? 
Since the outward man is 

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perishing but I looked To the 
inward man and that's being 

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renewed day by day. 
What a powerful thing. 

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And by the way, there's also age
that is accelerated by 

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experience. 
Have you ever known someone that

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perhaps lived a very hard life? 
And maybe they've really had a 

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hard time in life and you look 
to them and man they look really

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old but they look way older than
they really are. 

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And then you find out how young 
they really are your surprised. 

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You know why? 
That's age that's accelerated by

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experience. 
Sometimes people can go through 

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that, you see somebody that's 
very sick and they age quickly, 

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we say that sometimes. 
Well, they've really age this 

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last year. 
Not chronologically, not anymore

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than everybody else. 
But because of experience all 

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these things from the Physical 
Realm are wearing out. 

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But from a spiritual 
perspective, our inner man is 

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being renewed day by day. 
Do you remember when Paul said 

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this, I bear in my body, the 
marks of the Lord, Jesus, 

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incidentally, that's why he 
wrote to Philemon about the 

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runaway slave onesimus and he 
called himself. 

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Paul the agent. 
They were probably both 60 years

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of age, but he Saying that I 
bear in my body, the marks, Lord

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Jesus, therefore I'm calling 
you. 

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I'm writing to you as Paul the 
agent, okay? 

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I want to talk about the scars 
that Paul had. 

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He was beaten. 
He was persecuted. 

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He had to endure great suffering
and when he said as they stoned 

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him and they thought they left 
him for dead, they thought he 

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00:14:54,300 --> 00:14:57,700
was dead and as they scourged 
him and whipped him and beat 

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him, he had literal scars on his
body. 

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And when he said, I bear in my 
body, the marks of the Lord 

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Jesus, he meant literal marks. 
So what about us because nobody 

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beats us like that. 
Nobody beats on this like that. 

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What about us? 
Do we have scars? 

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How about this? 
When you suffer for doing, 

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what's right? 
When you are a young person and 

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your friends want to do 
something that is wrong and 

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sinful and you know, that and 
you stand opposed to that action

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00:15:31,700 --> 00:15:35,400
and you refuse to give in to it.
And you do what's right? 

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And your made fun of that's a 
scar. 

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00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:40,900
When you have a job and you 
don't get a promotion because 

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00:15:40,900 --> 00:15:44,500
you refuse to forsake the 
assembly, on the Lord's Day 

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00:15:44,500 --> 00:15:46,500
morning because you have an 
appointment with your Lord that 

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00:15:46,500 --> 00:15:49,500
day. 
And you're persecuted for that, 

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00:15:49,500 --> 00:15:51,600
you don't get the raise, maybe 
you get fired. 

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That's a scar every time you do.
What's right? 

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00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:01,200
And you're made fun of and your 
criticized. 

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It's a scar. so, I thought this,
when I wrote this sermon about 

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00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:14,600
scars, What if one day? 
As life is over with and I have 

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00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:18,700
a conversation with the Lord. 
What if the Lord said to me? 

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00:16:18,700 --> 00:16:22,600
Let me see your scars. 
Would I have any? 

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00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:27,600
And then I got to thinking, you 
know, if I live my entire life 

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00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:30,100
and from a spiritual 
perspective, I have no scars at 

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00:16:30,100 --> 00:16:32,300
all. 
Could it be that? 

282
00:16:32,300 --> 00:16:35,800
I've stood for nothing and lived
a life of compromise at every 

283
00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,400
turn? 
When you stand for something, 

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00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:42,100
the Bible says those that will 
live Godly will suffer 

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00:16:42,100 --> 00:16:45,400
persecution. 
Is this the way that it is? 

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00:16:46,500 --> 00:16:47,900
Paul says, I don't care about 
all that. 

287
00:16:47,900 --> 00:16:49,400
You know why? 
Because God's work on the 

288
00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:53,600
inside. 
God made him a man of endurance.

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00:16:54,100 --> 00:16:56,700
What's the inner man, though? 
The inner man is the heart. 

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00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,600
It's the soul. 
That's the real self. 

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00:16:59,700 --> 00:17:04,099
And, by the way, that's why. 
When we go to a funeral, And we 

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00:17:04,099 --> 00:17:07,400
stand there and we reflect on 
the life of an individual who is

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00:17:07,500 --> 00:17:11,000
in a casket somewhere and all 
that is the casket is just the 

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00:17:11,599 --> 00:17:15,300
how it is a container housing, 
the outward shell, that's not 

295
00:17:15,300 --> 00:17:17,599
the person. 
And by the way, that's why we 

296
00:17:17,599 --> 00:17:22,099
say that that person is still as
alive today as they ever had 

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00:17:22,099 --> 00:17:25,900
been, they're just not here. 
Why? 

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00:17:26,599 --> 00:17:30,500
That's the N word self? 
That's the inner man, that's the

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00:17:30,500 --> 00:17:32,800
soul. 
That's the real self. 

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00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:36,700
That is you? 
Paul said, I'm not concerned 

301
00:17:36,700 --> 00:17:38,200
about what happens to me, 
physically. 

302
00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:40,900
I'm concerned about what happens
to me, spiritually. 

303
00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:44,200
And when I'm physically weak, I 
am spiritually, strong. 

304
00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,700
Do you know why that is? 
Do you know why? 

305
00:17:46,700 --> 00:17:48,900
When we go through physical 
weakness? 

306
00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:53,400
That is our time that we can be 
the greatest strength in our 

307
00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:55,800
life. 
Of all the years of our life, we

308
00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:59,800
can become stronger than because
the pains in life and the 

309
00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:02,500
troubles and trials contribute 
to our inner strength and do you

310
00:18:02,508 --> 00:18:06,500
know why they drive us to God? 
See, it's not our own personal 

311
00:18:06,500 --> 00:18:07,800
strengths. 
That's from God. 

312
00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:11,700
Okay. 
Little side note here, remember 

313
00:18:11,700 --> 00:18:17,700
911. 
I had a private bible study this

314
00:18:17,700 --> 00:18:22,200
last week and this came up. 
Studying with the family, this 

315
00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:27,000
came up about 911. 
And the whole idea came up about

316
00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:32,400
9/11 when our country has such a
horrible thing happen. 

317
00:18:33,300 --> 00:18:37,100
Terrible thing, terrible tragedy
awful, terrorist attacks, 

318
00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:41,300
terrible stuff. 
People started talking about 

319
00:18:41,300 --> 00:18:45,200
God, even people that didn't 
profess to be any particular 

320
00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:48,100
religious affiliation. 
They started talking about God, 

321
00:18:48,100 --> 00:18:51,200
people started trying to pray to
God and talking to God. 

322
00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:53,900
You know, what else people 
actually became Kinder and nicer

323
00:18:53,900 --> 00:18:58,600
to each other. 
Unfortunately, it's only a 

324
00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:02,400
matter of time that people 
forget and then they drift back 

325
00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:04,900
to their old ways and old 
behaviors and so forth. 

326
00:19:04,900 --> 00:19:07,900
But you know what, in the midst 
of trial in the midst of 

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00:19:07,900 --> 00:19:11,600
suffering, in the midst of hard 
times, that's a time that people

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00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:15,200
are drawn to God and God can 
strengthen us and only he can. 

329
00:19:15,700 --> 00:19:19,100
So you will endure. 
Paul is saying when you value 

330
00:19:19,100 --> 00:19:22,000
the inner man over the outer 
when you value spiritual 

331
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:26,700
strength over the physical but 
also this Another secret of 

332
00:19:26,700 --> 00:19:31,800
endurance is. 
A second Heavenly reality is 

333
00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:34,400
looking at trials. 
Paul said this you will endure 

334
00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:37,000
not only when you value the 
spiritual over the physical but 

335
00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:41,000
when you endure the value of the
future over the present, I love 

336
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,600
with Chris parade today. 
He talked about things in the 

337
00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:49,900
present. 
And there's a difference between

338
00:19:49,900 --> 00:19:53,500
things that are in the present 
and things that are coming in 

339
00:19:53,500 --> 00:19:56,700
the future. 
That's what Paul said. 

340
00:19:57,500 --> 00:20:03,700
He said, it's just for the 
present and this is what he 

341
00:20:03,700 --> 00:20:06,400
calls it. 
By the way, he calls it, our 

342
00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:09,700
light Affliction, it's for a 
moment. 

343
00:20:09,900 --> 00:20:13,000
What else is it doing? 
It's working for us a far more 

344
00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:16,500
exceeding and eternal weight of 
Glory. 

345
00:20:17,100 --> 00:20:20,900
So first of all, he Towers over 
his troubles because all of his 

346
00:20:20,900 --> 00:20:24,000
troubles are making him 
spiritually strong but also 

347
00:20:24,100 --> 00:20:27,400
they're gaining for him. 
A greater weight of eternal 

348
00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:29,900
glory. 
In other words, the more 

349
00:20:29,900 --> 00:20:34,300
sufferings he endures. 
The great, the greater the 

350
00:20:34,300 --> 00:20:43,200
weight of Glory becomes notice. 
I thought this was, I found this

351
00:20:44,100 --> 00:20:49,900
and I thought, man, it's the 
point I want to make this 

352
00:20:49,900 --> 00:20:52,000
represents the sufferings in 
life. 

353
00:20:53,500 --> 00:20:57,100
That's what Paul saying, the 
greater the sufferings in life 

354
00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:00,000
and man they're piled on us. 
But you know what? 

355
00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:03,200
He calls it, he calls it, light 
Affliction, the man that born 

356
00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:05,500
his body, the marks of the Lord 
Jesus he got it was light 

357
00:21:05,500 --> 00:21:09,200
Affliction. 
Okay, this right here is all the

358
00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:12,400
sufferings in life that you 
endure as a Christian as a child

359
00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:16,400
of God, all the pain. 
The more you got it over here in

360
00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:19,100
the more you endure over here, 
the greater, your Eternal weight

361
00:21:19,100 --> 00:21:22,100
of Glory. 
This is heavier than the trials 

362
00:21:22,100 --> 00:21:25,400
that you will have in your life.
And the sufferings you will have

363
00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:32,800
in your life, amazing on this. 
It's swings the scale for him. 

364
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:37,900
Paul said, Romans 8, and 
chapters, 18:17 listen to this. 

365
00:21:38,300 --> 00:21:43,900
If indeed we suffer with him, 
that we may also be glorified 

366
00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:46,600
together. 
One more passage Romans chapter 

367
00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:50,200
8 and verse 18, for I consider 
the sufferings of this present 

368
00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:53,800
time are not worthy to be 
compared with the glory, which 

369
00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:57,600
shall be revealed in u.s. 
Okay. 

370
00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:01,400
Couple things. 
This is obviously talking about 

371
00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:05,300
the reward part, okay? 
And it's true that in Revelation

372
00:22:05,300 --> 00:22:09,900
2, and verse 10 writing to the 
persecuted church called Smyrna,

373
00:22:10,500 --> 00:22:15,000
the Lord said this you're going 
to have tribulation ten days 

374
00:22:15,100 --> 00:22:18,200
short amount of time, but be 
faithful unto death and I will 

375
00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:21,400
give you a crown of life. 
So it is true that when we 

376
00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:25,200
endure and we patiently endure 
to the end, it is true. 

377
00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:27,500
We're going to have eternal 
life. 

378
00:22:27,500 --> 00:22:31,200
The reward part. 
And I used to think that this 

379
00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:34,900
passage that is under 
consideration for us today was 

380
00:22:34,900 --> 00:22:37,700
just simply meaning that about 
this eternal weight of Glory. 

381
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,200
That it was just talking about 
our reward but it's so much more

382
00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,600
than that. 
Paul said, our sufferings 

383
00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:46,700
contribute to eternal glory. 
So the question is this, then 

384
00:22:46,900 --> 00:22:50,900
what is it? 
What is eternal glory? 

385
00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:57,500
Eternal glory is our capacity to
serve praise and glorify God in 

386
00:22:58,100 --> 00:23:00,300
heaven. 
Okay, that's the Eternal part. 

387
00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,200
We got more to say about that 
though, hang on. 

388
00:23:03,700 --> 00:23:05,500
But right now look, that's what 
it means. 

389
00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:10,000
The greater Your Capacity to get
to the greater capacity to serve

390
00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:13,100
and glorify, God is 
proportionate to your 

391
00:23:13,100 --> 00:23:16,700
willingness to suffer as a 
Christian for him. 

392
00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:19,800
The heavier, the sufferings, the
greater, the Eternal weight of 

393
00:23:19,808 --> 00:23:21,400
Glory. 
So this is it. 

394
00:23:21,700 --> 00:23:24,900
It's about glorifying God in 
heaven and we increase our 

395
00:23:24,900 --> 00:23:27,800
capacity to do that. 
That's the Eternal part, more in

396
00:23:27,808 --> 00:23:31,600
a minute. 
So, it is our return. 

397
00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:34,800
Our eternal glory is measured 
out in relationship, to our 

398
00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,300
willingness to suffer. 
And, you know, really that goes 

399
00:23:37,300 --> 00:23:39,700
against our grain, right? 
Nobody wants to suffer. 

400
00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:45,700
Little Point here because I do 
it too. 

401
00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:51,500
Man, we all do it. 
If we have something that's hard

402
00:23:51,500 --> 00:23:56,200
for us you don't we do we beg 
God to take it away. 

403
00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:01,500
I do it too. 
And I'm not saying you shouldn't

404
00:24:01,500 --> 00:24:03,800
ask God to take it away, not 
saying that at all. 

405
00:24:04,900 --> 00:24:10,000
I'm saying that if God says no 
and will not take it away, then 

406
00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:13,500
maybe we should spend more time 
saying if not then give me the 

407
00:24:13,500 --> 00:24:15,700
strength and the courage to 
endure. 

408
00:24:15,700 --> 00:24:18,500
It give me the strength to 
endure. 

409
00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:22,900
That's really the point. 
I think in our life, give us the

410
00:24:22,900 --> 00:24:29,100
strength to endure. all that 
will live Godly will suffer 

411
00:24:29,100 --> 00:24:34,100
persecution 2nd Timothy chapter 
3 in verse 12 in First Peter 

412
00:24:34,100 --> 00:24:39,700
chapter 1, notice this In this, 
you greatly Rejoice that for now

413
00:24:39,700 --> 00:24:43,500
in a little while, if for now a 
little while, if need be, you 

414
00:24:43,500 --> 00:24:47,800
have been grieved by various 
trials that the genuineness of 

415
00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:50,300
your faith being much more 
precious than gold, that 

416
00:24:50,300 --> 00:24:54,300
perishes though it is tested by 
fire, may be found to praise 

417
00:24:54,300 --> 00:24:58,000
honor and Glory at the 
revelation of Jesus Christ. 

418
00:24:58,300 --> 00:25:02,700
An amazing passage or what Peter
saying, they're the genuineness 

419
00:25:02,700 --> 00:25:07,300
of our faith is demonstrated or 
shown by our ability to endure. 

420
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:11,400
And persevere no matter what. 
And when are you going to get 

421
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:14,700
the reward at the appearing of 
Jesus Christ? 

422
00:25:14,700 --> 00:25:16,400
That's heaven. 
When the Lord comes back. 

423
00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:20,100
That's that part, right? 
So there's a relationship though

424
00:25:20,100 --> 00:25:23,600
between suffering and glory and 
that's exactly what Paul looked 

425
00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:27,100
at. 
I don't want to minimize pain, I

426
00:25:27,108 --> 00:25:29,800
don't want to do that. 
I don't want to minimize 

427
00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:31,800
suffering. 
I don't want to do that either 

428
00:25:32,100 --> 00:25:34,000
because I guarantee I'm a human 
too. 

429
00:25:34,100 --> 00:25:36,100
And, you know, when you think 
you can your bulletproof and you

430
00:25:36,108 --> 00:25:38,800
can handle anything, you know, 
when that is in your life, when 

431
00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:41,900
you're about 18, Maybe early 
20s. 

432
00:25:42,500 --> 00:25:45,300
Sometimes we go a little longer 
with our immaturity and we think

433
00:25:45,300 --> 00:25:47,100
that we're bulletproof, and 
we're all he can't. 

434
00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:49,400
I even said things, I was a kid 
with this is the dumbest thing 

435
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:53,200
ever can't hurt Steel. 
No, you pour water on it. 

436
00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:56,600
Make it rust though. 
Sometimes in our mindset, we 

437
00:25:56,600 --> 00:26:00,200
have that mindset, but we are 
all week before the Lord. 

438
00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:03,100
And when we're physically weak 
and we were weak that way we can

439
00:26:03,100 --> 00:26:05,600
approach God, and God can give 
us the strength. 

440
00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:11,500
So pain is pain and it's real 
Christian Science. 

441
00:26:12,700 --> 00:26:16,600
Is not true to its name in the 
Christian Scientist religion, 

442
00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:21,100
they say this, they say there's 
no such thing as real pain and 

443
00:26:21,100 --> 00:26:23,800
real suffering. 
There's only the perception of 

444
00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:26,400
pain. 
How in the world? 

445
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:28,600
Could you ever believe that pain
is pain? 

446
00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:32,300
Pain is real. 
You know, Christian Science is 

447
00:26:32,300 --> 00:26:34,600
not true to its name and any 
Christian ain't science. 

448
00:26:35,500 --> 00:26:37,700
It's kind of like Grape-Nuts, 
right? 

449
00:26:37,900 --> 00:26:40,800
And grapes and any nuts and it 
tastes like wood. 

450
00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:48,500
Not true to its name. 
Yeah, pain is real, folks. 

451
00:26:48,500 --> 00:26:52,100
Please understand. 
I'm saying that the scars of 

452
00:26:52,100 --> 00:26:55,400
scar. 
Defamation of character is 

453
00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,500
defamation of character. 
It's real. 

454
00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,300
You know, what Paul is saying? 
He's not saying it doesn't 

455
00:27:02,300 --> 00:27:05,500
exist. 
He's saying it doesn't matter. 

456
00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:10,600
He's saying it's doesn't matter,
it's momentary. 

457
00:27:11,900 --> 00:27:13,700
He called it as a light 
affliction. 

458
00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,200
It's a big deal but it doesn't 
matter. 

459
00:27:18,100 --> 00:27:21,600
It's producing for us an eternal
weight of Glory, has a positive 

460
00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:24,200
effect. 
The more that I suffer the 

461
00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:26,700
greater my eternal glory. 
That's right, there are 

462
00:27:26,700 --> 00:27:31,400
connected and it's producing an 
eternal weight of Glory. 

463
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:34,800
Now it tips the scale in our 
favor. 

464
00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:43,400
So, What does it mean? 
Eternal, glory means this. 

465
00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:48,000
We have a greater capacity to 
pray serve and glorify God. 

466
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,300
Now I want to say this though. 
About the very fact that 

467
00:27:51,300 --> 00:27:56,600
enlarges our capacity, I want to
say this though about our 

468
00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:00,600
reward. 
Our reward is not different. 

469
00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:06,600
Don't ever think that if you had
to endure tough stuff that 

470
00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:09,000
you're going to get a greater 
reward in heaven because you are

471
00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:15,500
not, Jesus said in the parable 
of the vineyard, everybody's 

472
00:28:15,500 --> 00:28:19,100
going to get a penny. 
A Denarius. 

473
00:28:20,300 --> 00:28:24,400
A day's wages, not that you've 
earned it, but it is by Grace 

474
00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:29,000
given and whether you served in 
the vineyard all of your life or

475
00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,100
came in at the 11th Hour, you're
still going to get the same 

476
00:28:32,100 --> 00:28:35,000
penny. 
So the idea is that you're going

477
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:37,200
to have a greater reward in 
heaven because of the things 

478
00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:43,300
that you endured here. 
It just means this it enlarges 

479
00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:49,100
our capacity to serve God and it
happens even in this life. 

480
00:28:51,700 --> 00:28:55,500
Years ago. 
I knew of a man that had some 

481
00:28:55,500 --> 00:29:03,700
terrible things happen to him, 
and I had to witness all of 

482
00:29:03,700 --> 00:29:06,900
that. 
And I remember as a young person

483
00:29:06,900 --> 00:29:10,900
thinking how awful that was and 
you really feel sorry for the 

484
00:29:10,900 --> 00:29:13,900
person that's enduring such a 
thing, right? 

485
00:29:14,700 --> 00:29:17,900
Because that's a human being, 
that we are as human standpoint.

486
00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:22,400
And somebody said this and I 
never had thought of this. 

487
00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:25,600
I was in my twenties at the time
but somebody said this he said I

488
00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:30,400
can't wait. 
To see the man that he will be 

489
00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:38,000
on the other end of this trial. 
I never looked at it like that 

490
00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:39,400
he was he was looking at like 
this. 

491
00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:43,000
Even in this life it'll increase
your capacity to serve God and 

492
00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:47,600
make you even better right now. 
Because of what you endure right

493
00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:49,400
now. 
And by the way, it's not 

494
00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:51,700
something you get rid of, it's 
something you take all the way 

495
00:29:51,700 --> 00:29:59,400
to heaven and increases your 
capacity in that way. so, What's

496
00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:01,900
the difference between trials 
and suffering? 

497
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:03,500
What's the difference? 
Okay? 

498
00:30:05,500 --> 00:30:08,500
In James chapter 1, verses 3 and
4 my brethren count, it all joy,

499
00:30:08,500 --> 00:30:11,000
when you fall into various 
trials, knowing that the testing

500
00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:13,300
of your faith. 
Produces patience but let 

501
00:30:13,300 --> 00:30:15,200
patience have. 
It's perfect work that ye may be

502
00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:16,700
perfect and complete lacking, 
nothing. 

503
00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:17,900
What's the difference? 
Then. 

504
00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:21,600
The difference is this trials, 
increase our ability to 

505
00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:26,100
persevere. 
Suffering increases our capacity

506
00:30:26,100 --> 00:30:32,400
to serve God. 
When I talk about suffering 

507
00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:38,400
though, I'm not talking about 
suffering the consequences of my

508
00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:40,700
bad choices. 
I'm not talking about that 

509
00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:44,800
because you know what, if I make
a bad choice and I suffer the 

510
00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:49,000
ramifications of that, bad 
choice, That's just the 

511
00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,700
consequences of my bad choice. 
I have that coming. 

512
00:30:51,700 --> 00:30:53,100
That's not what Paul is talking 
about. 

513
00:30:53,100 --> 00:30:54,800
That's not what the Lord ever 
talked about. 

514
00:30:55,900 --> 00:30:58,700
What I'm talking about is I'm 
talking about things, that 

515
00:30:58,700 --> 00:31:02,600
glorify God. 
We understand that suffering as 

516
00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:05,300
a Christian things, you go 
through in this life, all of 

517
00:31:05,308 --> 00:31:06,600
that stuff. 
That's true. 

518
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:09,900
Okay, but there's something 
else, and please get this 

519
00:31:09,900 --> 00:31:11,900
because I think this is very 
important. 

520
00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:17,700
It also includes when something 
bad happens to you. 

521
00:31:18,300 --> 00:31:21,300
You don't give up, you don't 
chicken out. 

522
00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:26,100
You don't say I quit. 
You still put your faith and 

523
00:31:26,100 --> 00:31:29,500
trust in God. 
You still honor his son, you 

524
00:31:29,500 --> 00:31:31,900
still worship. 
God, you don't give up. 

525
00:31:31,900 --> 00:31:33,400
You don't quit, you don't walk 
away. 

526
00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:40,600
When you do that, you take what 
was a scar and now you move 

527
00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:44,100
forward and it's become a 
greater Eternal weight of Glory.

528
00:31:44,900 --> 00:31:47,800
You have it forever. 
Paul tells us and it was 

529
00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:51,300
secretive endurance. 
You will endure when the u-value

530
00:31:51,300 --> 00:31:56,200
Eternal realities over temporal.
Second Corinthians chapter 4. 

531
00:31:56,700 --> 00:32:00,600
Okay. 
Now, notice this in summary, 

532
00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:03,000
we're almost finished. 
We don't lose heart. 

533
00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:04,500
Why don't we lose heart Paul? 
Why? 

534
00:32:04,700 --> 00:32:06,400
Because our outward man is 
perishing. 

535
00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:08,900
We know that yet the inward man 
is being renewed, day by day. 

536
00:32:08,900 --> 00:32:12,000
We know that that's the reason. 
What else these light Affliction

537
00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,000
is there? 
No big deal because of what's 

538
00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:15,500
coming there? 
Just for a moment. 

539
00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:18,100
It's working for us a far more 
exceeding and eternal weight of 

540
00:32:18,100 --> 00:32:20,700
Glory. 
While we do not look at the 

541
00:32:20,700 --> 00:32:23,900
things which are seen, But at 
the things which are not seen 

542
00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:27,000
for the things which are seen 
are temporary but the things 

543
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:32,300
which are not seen are eternal. 
What an amazing. 

544
00:32:32,700 --> 00:32:38,600
Amazing Passage. 
Sometimes people today. 

545
00:32:40,100 --> 00:32:42,700
And I really do believe this, I 
really do believe that there's 

546
00:32:42,700 --> 00:32:44,300
more people looking for a 
church. 

547
00:32:45,900 --> 00:32:51,100
Than looking for the truth. 
And the reason for it is they're

548
00:32:51,100 --> 00:32:53,500
looking for a religious 
organization. 

549
00:32:54,700 --> 00:32:59,600
That makes them feel better. 
I think there's a lot of people 

550
00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:01,600
that are looking at what they 
get. 

551
00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:07,300
But in Christianity, in Christ, 
it's not about what you get, 

552
00:33:07,700 --> 00:33:12,600
it's about what you give. 
So we might not have an easy 

553
00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:15,500
life and it may be difficult. 
That's okay. 

554
00:33:16,100 --> 00:33:20,300
It increases our capacity to 
serve praise and honor God in 

555
00:33:20,300 --> 00:33:22,200
this life. 
As we live we could become a 

556
00:33:22,208 --> 00:33:24,800
better servant and after this 
life too. 

557
00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:30,000
In heaven. 
Now in this last phrase here, it

558
00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:33,300
says while you the opposite 
while we do not look, the 

559
00:33:33,300 --> 00:33:37,500
opposite is while we do. 
Look, I think it's so important 

560
00:33:37,500 --> 00:33:42,800
that we focus our minds and let 
our and let our eyes be single. 

561
00:33:44,700 --> 00:33:48,500
You know, it you have to stop 
doing something just to do 

562
00:33:48,500 --> 00:33:49,700
something else. 
It's opposite. 

563
00:33:49,700 --> 00:33:52,300
You got to do that. 
What is he saying? 

564
00:33:52,500 --> 00:33:54,700
We don't look at the things that
are are not seen. 

565
00:33:54,700 --> 00:33:56,800
So, you know, we got to look at,
we don't look at the things 

566
00:33:56,800 --> 00:33:58,400
which are seen. 
We have to look at the things 

567
00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:03,100
which are not seen. 
You've heard that little phrase 

568
00:34:03,100 --> 00:34:06,100
that I used as a coach Clear 
Eyes. 

569
00:34:06,100 --> 00:34:09,600
Full Hearts can't lose. 
If you have clear eyes, and 

570
00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:12,199
you're focused eyes, and your 
eyes are single and you're 

571
00:34:12,199 --> 00:34:15,600
focused on that you're focused 
on that goal, that's what Paul 

572
00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:18,100
is saying. 
My focus is on that which is not

573
00:34:18,100 --> 00:34:19,800
seen. 
That is eternal. 

574
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:23,199
I'm looking past all this stuff.
That's number one, number two, 

575
00:34:23,300 --> 00:34:26,400
if I got a full heart, you know,
that means I read my heart of 

576
00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:30,199
all the bitterness hatred, all 
the negativity, all of that 

577
00:34:30,199 --> 00:34:32,400
stuff. 
I get rid of it and I fill it 

578
00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:38,100
with a love for all that's good.
If I do that, and I got Clear 

579
00:34:38,100 --> 00:34:42,500
Eyes and a full heart, I cannot 
lose because I've done all that.

580
00:34:42,500 --> 00:34:44,600
I possibly can do. 
I become the greatest version of

581
00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:47,400
me? 
And that's all that any of us 

582
00:34:47,500 --> 00:34:52,100
could ever do. 
Folks, I'm going to tell you, 

583
00:34:53,300 --> 00:34:55,600
I'm going to tell you that, in 
our life, we're going to have 

584
00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:58,300
hard times. 
We really are. 

585
00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:03,800
And sometimes we just need to 
encourage each other to stay in 

586
00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:05,300
the fight. 
It will be worth it. 

587
00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:09,700
And when Paul wrote to those 
Smyrna, I mean Jesus wrote to 

588
00:35:09,700 --> 00:35:14,200
those Smyrna, he said be 
faithful unto death. 

589
00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:17,300
That means this be faithful. 
Even if it takes your life, even

590
00:35:17,300 --> 00:35:21,400
if it cost you your life. 
I'm going to tell you one day, 

591
00:35:22,500 --> 00:35:25,600
one day, it'll be worth it all. 
And I guarantee you this to 

592
00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:30,000
anybody that's ever passed away 
and there in Paradise right now 

593
00:35:30,700 --> 00:35:34,200
they know where they are. 
And as much as we may miss them,

594
00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:36,000
they wouldn't come back if they 
could. 

595
00:35:37,500 --> 00:35:40,200
They made it. 
And they're just waiting for the

596
00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:41,900
Lord to come back to get the 
home in Hammond. 

597
00:35:43,300 --> 00:35:45,900
We can make it. 
It's going to take all of us. 

598
00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:49,500
Let's be better than we've been.
That's be all that we can be for

599
00:35:49,500 --> 00:35:51,200
the cause of Christ. 
I'm through this morning. 

600
00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:52,800
Thank you so much for your kind 
listening. 

601
00:35:54,300 --> 00:35:55,700
And I hope in this little 
sermon. 

602
00:35:55,700 --> 00:35:58,100
This was a way to encourage all 
of us. 

603
00:35:59,500 --> 00:36:03,600
To persevere and endure until 
the end and it will be worth it 

604
00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:05,400
all. 
Increase our capacity to serve 

605
00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:09,800
God, we thank you for listening 
to our podcast, put on by the 

606
00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:15,500
Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
Road in Bakersfield, if you 

607
00:36:15,508 --> 00:36:18,700
would like any additional 
information or you would like to

608
00:36:18,700 --> 00:36:21,800
receive a free Bible 
correspondence, course by mail. 

609
00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:26,300
Please email us at info at True 
Church of Christ. 

610
00:36:26,300 --> 00:36:30,400
Bakersfield.com. 
Our service times are Sundays at

611
00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:36,800
10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 
Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. please 

612
00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:40,000
make plans to join us. 
We would love for you to be our 

613
00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:40,900
honored guest